Moonbeam

Ann

I “slept” that night. It felt more like a hazy doze. I still saw the room around me, but it was only a shadow of what I was really watching. It was like I sat on the stage as a play happened. The actors of my life danced around me, displaying wings of different colors and voices of different feels. I didn’t understand most of what they said, but it certainly made me wild. After a couple hours, I couldn’t even feel the ropes restraining me anymore. I just let myself drown in the visions as they overcame me.

When I woke up, Clark was in the room. The light was no longer the only one; there was a table beside him with a blue cloth draped across it, and on top sat a rotund lamp. A small plate held a nice portion of scrambled eggs and bacon, as well as a large haystack of golden hash browns.

I looked up at Clark, who was sitting across from me. His legs were crossed. I could see his face. His cheekbones were incredibly high, his cheeks half-hollow. His silver eyes were calm; they didn’t show the crazy fire they had in the rain.

He smiled at me. “Good morning. Help yourself to breakfast.”

My eyes moved to the plate of food, and my stomach trembled. I looked down at my lap and saw that my hands were free. He must have untied me while I was still out of it. I shifted around on the chair and frowned. My behind was very sore.

“Oh, here,” he said, pulling a small pillow from behind him.

I looked at him for a moment, unsure what to think of all this. I didn’t say a word, only took the cushion and moved to put it under me. My legs hurt, but the burning subsided once I sat again. He watched me as I reached for the plate, and his gaze never left while I ate. I chewed slowly, keeping my eyes down. I glanced up when I swallowed and saw his eyes right on mine. I blushed and dropped my chin, concentrating on eating. It was strange for some reason, needing to ingest something instead of only wanting to.

After I was finished, he asked, “How did your visions go?”

I shrugged and stared down at my empty plate. “I didn’t understand them.”

“Do you remember anything new?”

“Only that you and I spent a lot of time together, before we… fell.” I swallowed thickly and glanced up at him. “Why did we fall?”

A slight grimace crossed his face. “I’m not going to tell you,” he said simply, and uncrossed his legs.

Awkwardly, I reached up to tuck a bit of my hair behind my ear. His eyes flashed and he moved forward to snatch my hand. “What are you doing?” I whispered, cowering under him. His grip was so tight that it frightened me.

He looked bewildered for a moment, confused by my hand in his, and then let go. His face was flushed. “I… wanted you to see a memory.” He composed himself and moved his chair up to mine. “This is going to be different from your visions.” He leaned forward and took my hands in his. They were so much warmer than my skin that they made me feel weak. He moved close enough to me that I could smell him, and the scent dizzied me. Before I knew it, I wasn’t even in my body.



The room was dark, and I was warm. My surroundings were softer than silk.

I felt a body beside mine. When I turned, I saw that it was Clark. He smiled when he saw my face, and my heart felt warm. “Hello, beautiful,” he murmured, his arm snaking around my naked waist.

I moved nearer to him and closed my eyes happily. “Don’t ever leave me,” I whispered to him. I was imagining if he ever didn’t like me, if he somehow left me alone. I was terrified of having nobody to hold me when I cried.

“Oh honey.” He sighed and squeezed me to him. I felt his warm lips pressing to my forehead, and down the side of my face.

Blushing with a smile, I ran my hands down his chest. I turned my head to him, and we kissed. My heart swelled with love for him as he ran his fingers into my hair, pulling it from my face. I tangled my legs with his, feeling every inch of his body close, and told him again, “Don’t leave me alone.”

He smiled gently at me, his cool silver eyes sparkling in the dim light. “I love you, Ann. I will never leave you alone.”



I gasped as his hands left mine. My eyes found his face, and I tried to go to him. My knees buckled beneath me when I stood. I fell forward into his lap, but he pushed me away. The cold floor met me with a harsh slap.

“Clark,” I said, reaching out and taking hold of his pants. “Clark, talk to me. Tell me what’s happening. Please.” I looked up at him, pulling myself to my knees. I took his hand tightly in mine. “I want to remember more,” I whispered.

His nose wrinkled faintly as he glared daggers at me. “You don’t deserve to remember.” He pulled his fingers from me and stood, ignoring me as I tried to keep him there.

I got to my feet and wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my face between his shoulder blades. “Stay,” I whispered.

He was rigid against me. “Get off of me,” he hissed, pushing away from me. His elbow collided with my jaw and I stumbled to the side.

“Wait.” I tried to grab him again, pulling him back from the door and pressing to his chest. I moved my arms around his chest and hugged him tight. “Please, stay with me.”

His breathing got quicker as he grabbed my shoulder and threw me back. “Don’t touch me!” he barked, his eyes wide. “I don’t want to stay with you. I can’t stand the sight of you.” He advanced toward me, pointing down in my face. “I hate you! I want you to die!” He gasped and fell back a step, a hand flying to his mouth.

I could only look at him with tearful eyes. The concrete was cold and hard under my knees, but I didn’t care. I just wanted him to hold me and tell me it was all OK. “Baby, please…”

“No!” He shrank away from me, shielding his heart with crossed arms. “You don’t deserve what you want. You don’t deserve anything but darkness and solitude.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and bowed my head. A golf ball-sized tumor sat in my throat, choking me with sadness. “But I don’t know what I did…”

His nostrils flared for just a moment, and a cloud of tranquility came over him. “I know,” he said with a twisted smile. “I know what you did, and I know what has to be done.” Something seemed to occur to him, then. It was all I could do to watch as he strode past me and reached out toward the lamp. He pushed it aside, and it shattered on the floor.

I gasped as shadows leaped forward. “Wait, no!” I cried, moving to his side.

He shoved me with a snarl and grabbed up the plate. His eyes shot to me as he lifted it. “Fuck you, Ann,” he told me, and slammed the plate into the hanging light bulb.

I screamed as the darkness took me. I heard his footsteps as he moved toward the door, and I tried to get to him. “Clark, Clark!” I sobbed, reaching out for him. I heard the door open, and for a moment I smelled fresh air. Then it slammed shut, and my knees failed me. I collapsed on the floor, crumpled in a pile as I listened to the lock clicking shut.